Grand Blanc man arrested for messages to boy

Saline police say a Grand Blanc man sent a 15-year-old boy sexually explicit text messages and e-mails for months before trying to meet him at Saline High School on Friday afternoon.

When 44-year-old Michael Bishop Huston appeared serious about meeting the boy at his Saline home Friday, it scared the boy enough to tell officials at his school, police say.

Officers arrested Huston after observing his car near Saline High School in Pittsfield Township late Friday afternoon. School officials told police to be on the lookout for Huston after the boy reported text messages indicating Huston was in the Saline area, said Police Chief Paul Bunten.

"The communication had been going on for a while, but the victim reported he had gotten these improper text messages from an adult when he was coming here," Bunten said. "The victim was frightened."

Bunten said the two likely met over the Internet and began exchanging messages, which led to the meeting set for Friday.

Huston was arraigned Sunday on one count of soliciting a minor for immoral purposes, a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. He was placed on $100,000 bond pending a preliminary hearing Feb. 19, court records show.

Huston did not make any statements during his arraignment, and a public defender was assigned to the case.

Bunten said police found several cell phones in Huston's vehicle and are also reviewing his computer, which was seized from his home over the weekend.

The case is the second recent investigation in Saline involving allegations of inappropriate text messages sent to a minor.

Bunten said detectives are still investigating a case involving an eighth-grade boy who said he received sexually suggestive messages from a former substitute teacher at Saline Middle School.

No arrests have been made in the case, and police say the two investigations are unrelated.

"It's a sign of the times, and it seems to be happening a lot more and everywhere," Bunten said.